


What Is This Future?!

by somethingnerdythiswaycomes



Category: Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - BDSM, Dom/sub, Domestic, Dubious Consent, M/M, Non Consensual
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-12-05
Updated: 2012-12-04
Packaged: 2017-11-20 08:52:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/583503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/somethingnerdythiswaycomes/pseuds/somethingnerdythiswaycomes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The first thing they do when Steve wakes up is start testing him.  Blood tests, stress tests, movement, senses, reaction time.  What he experienced before, 70 years ago, a few months ago, but with new equipment that doesn’t make any sense.  The last test they put him through is the most confusing.  Then, at the end, In the spot next to his name, the one that had been blank and confusing at the beginning of the tests, was filled.  Steve Rogers: Submissive</p>
            </blockquote>





	What Is This Future?!

The first thing they do when Steve wakes up is start testing him. Blood tests, stress tests, movement, senses, reaction time. What he experienced before, 70 years ago, a few months ago, but with new equipment that doesn’t make any sense. The last test they put him through is the most confusing.

It seems like another blood test, at first, except for the needle being so small. it’s just a tiny prick on the tip of his finger, barely enough to make him flinch, before the few drops of blood are collected in a shallow dish. A few drops from a beaker of a clear liquid, and then nothing.

He could hear the quiet, collective gasp from the techs around him, their eyes wide and mouths open. Another finger is pricked, another dish collecting a few drops of his blood, almost a full pipette of the clear liquid squeezed in with it. Still nothing.

“What is this supposed to test?” He asks, keeping his hand stretched out in front of him as one of the techs unwraps a new needle. He doesn’t get an answer, which seems typical of his life here so far.

Another prick, another dish, and even more of that clear liquid.

“What alignment are you?” One of the techs demands of him, making him even more confused.

“Alignment? What do you mean?”

“They didn’t have them back then?” Another one asks, sounding astonished. “How did anything get done?"

“What’s an ‘alignment’?” he asks, confused.

“They didn’t test, just went by appearances, and no one talked about it at all,” the third tech told the second, reading the label of the bottle of that liquid they were using. “If he looked like one...”

“Like one what?” He asked again, patience fading fast.

The door at the other end of the room opens, that Fury guy stepping in with his seemingly usual glare on his face.

“Why is this taking so long? We need him for a debriefing an hour ago!”

“This last test isn’t working out, we need a new batch of the Alidom,” one of the techs told Fury. “It won’t react with his blood.”

“Well did you try the other ones?” was the irate response.

“But he can’t be--”

“He was frozen in an iceberg for more than half a decade, and most people would say he can’t do that. Try the other indicators and get this test done!”

The techs set about getting another needle, another dish, and a different bottle, this time filled with a pale blue liquid. They pricked his finger, collected the drops of blood, and dripped some of the blue liquid into the dish.

This time, the mixture of blood and the chemical started bubbling immediately, changing color to a light purple.

“And there we go,” Fury told them. “Now mark it on his record and let me take him to the meeting!”

The three techs nodded, two starting to clean while another picked up the file sitting next to him and flipping to the page with basic information, scribbling something in it. He looked over the tech’s shoulder, catching a quick glimpse of the page.

In the spot next to his name, the one that had been blank and confusing at the beginning of the tests, was now filled.

Steve Rogers: Submissive

.oOo.

The meeting was small, only Fury, a woman in the standard SHIELD uniform, and a man in a suit sitting calmly on the other end of the table. Once Fury sat there was one seat left, directly across from him, and Steve took it. The woman glanced at him, gave him an up-and-down as if assessing what kind of threat he poses, then looked back to Fury. The man in the suit glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, but didn’t turn to look at him.

Fury steepled his fingers, leaning forward to brace his elbows on the table. “Originally this meeting was going to be about how to best adjust Captain Rogers to modern society, but there has been a snag in the plans.” He gestured to the file in the middle of the table, which one of the techs had run ahead to, presumably, drop off.

The man in the suit and the woman in uniform had a split-second stare down before the man in the suit reached forward for it and flipped open to the first page. His face stayed carefully neutral, except for a slight twitch of his eyes over to Steve and a flush rising up his neck. He cleared his throat and handed the file to the woman.

Steve wasn’t sure what that one little word meant, even though it seemed important enough to derail a meeting. From the way everyone was reacting it had to be something bad.

Fury stared at him with his one eye, gaze hard and steady. Steve felt the familiar impulse to curl in on himself, make himself less imposing, less present, but fought it back to the corner of his mind. He kept his back straight, hands on the armrests of his chair. Soldiers didn’t back down.

When the woman finished reading she placed the file back in the middle of the table, staring with narrowed eyes at Steve. This stare was easier to resist, but only barely.

The man in the suit still wouldn’t look at him.

“With Captain Rogers’s alignment in mind--”

“What does that mean?” Steve interrupted against his better judgment. Fury gave him a flat glare, and his shoulders curled inwards slightly against his will. “What is an ‘alignment’?”

“An alignment is a person’s affinity towards dominance or...submission,” the man in the suit answered, still keeping his eyes on the folders and legal pad in front of him.

“And I have an affinity for submission,” Steve answered, frowning slightly. “What difference does that make?”

“A submissive isn’t allowed to live by himself,” the man in the suit told him, as if reciting from a textbook, still not looking at him. “He can’t own property or hold bank accounts. He can’t have a job, without his dominant’s express permission.”

“That’s...that’s a violation of rights,” Steve replied, reverting to his ideals in his astonishment. “They can’t do that.”

“They can and do, Captain Rogers. Get used to it. If you want to live in this world you have to live by the rules.”

“I didn’t want to live in this world,” he said abruptly. His hands were clenched into fists, a small amount of force away from crushing the armrests of his chair.

Fury leaned forward, hands flat on the table. “I don’t care what you do and don’t want. There are things you have to do, like saving the world from every crazy guy with a little too many smarts. And there are things you have to do to do those things, like wear someone’s collar and call them ‘sir’. You are going to do what you have to, and if you’re unhappy with it you’re going to have to deal with it.” He leaned forward another inch, glaring at Steve. “Are we clear, Captain Rogers?”

Steve had gradually been leaning back in his chair as Fury leaned forward, and his gaze fell to his lap at the last statement. “Clear,” he replied quietly.

He could see through his eyelashes when he glanced up that Fury had sat back again. “I’m glad that’s understood. You have a room down the hall, with files on what’s important from the last seventy years. You’ll be called when you’re needed again. Don’t leave that room.”

It was as clear a dismissal as any, and Steve grit his teeth as he stood. Because of this test, this alignment, he couldn’t have any say in his life here. He was being sent away like a child from the dinner table, as the parents started to discuss ‘adult things’. 

.oOo.

Whispers followed him down the corridor, making it obvious the techs had been hard at work spreading the news as much as they could. He couldn’t make out what any of them were saying. When he reached the room at the end of the hall, the one with his files to read, he dropped the key before he could fit it into the lock. When he bent down to pick it up, someone from further down the hall wolf-whistled, making him flush red and turn quickly to try and stare down the perpetrator. Just as he started to straighten up a hand came down on his bum with a loud smack, making him jump and let out an embarrassing noise.

“So the rumors are right,” a voice said close to his ear, the hand that had smacked him caressing it now. “Never guessed a big guy like you would be such a slut for it.”

His face heated in a blush, more anger than embarrassment, but when one of the man’s hands closed around his wrist even his super-strength couldn’t get him free. Steve figured it tied into the apparently submissive aspect of himself, and it didn’t seem to be doing him any favors. He tried pulling free, but every time that hand would squeeze around his wrist and make his breath stutter.

The key was plucked from his fingers and slotted into the door, and Steve tried once again to break free.

“It’s going to be fun, making you take it,” the man told him, a smirk evident in his voice. “Make you beg for me to fuck you, and I might not even do it.”

Steve’s eyes widened, the full realization of what was going to happen hitting him even through the fog of unwilling pleasure. He glanced around fearfully, but most of the people in the corridor had left, and those that were left were avoiding looking at them. He wanted to say something, shout for some kind of help, but he couldn’t.

The doorknob turned and he was pushed into the room, landing on his hands and knees on the floor. He heard the door slam shut, and then the man was at his back again.

“Stay just like that,” the man said, palming at Steve’s ass again. “You don’t even know what you’re doing, do you, but your body knows...”

It was then that Steve realized he was pushing back into the hand, his back arched and legs sliding apart. He tried to force his back straight and his knees together but couldn’t manage more than a half-hearted twitch.

The man’s hands slid around his waist, tracing along his belt to settle at the buckle. He was starting to undo the belt, sliding the leather through the buckle until it was completely undone and he could focus on the button and fly of his pants.

“Stop,” Steve managed to gasp, fingertips digging into the carpeting under him.

The man chuckled and pulled the zip down slowly. “Pretty soon you’re going to be begging me not to stop, I know how it is with you submissives. Any cock to fill the hole is good enough, any Dom that’s willing to fuck you.”

As much as Steve wanted to he couldn’t resist reacting to that. He could feel himself hardening, the low burn of arousal heady in his stomach. One of the man’s hands palmed his crotch for a brief second, making him whimper and rock into his hand.

There was a knock at the door, quiet and unassuming.

“We’re busy in here,” the man called back, starting to tug down Steve’s pants.

“Stop,” Steve managed to say again, clenching his eyes tight.

The door swung open, and the man turned back to glare at whoever came in. “I said--”

When he cut off Steve turned his head just enough to look at who it was. It was the man in the suit from the meeting, but he looked almost like a completely different person. His eyes were steely, face set in an intimidating frown. His entire body was postured to make him look bigger and tougher than he actually was. His hands were clenched into fists, his whole body exuding anger and dominance. Steve felt his arms wobble.

“Let go of him,” the man in the suit ordered, with just a hint of a growl in it He took a menacing step foward as he said it, making the other man move away from Steve and Steve to come immediately in his underwear.

As the man in the suit stepped forward the other man moved quickly around him and out of the room. Once he was gone, the man in the suit seemed to deflate, reverting back to the unassuming posture he had held in the meeting. Steve panted, eyes drifting away from him and sat up on his knees to pull his pants back up and close them, buckling his belt after.

“Are you all right?” the man in the suit asked, leaning over slightly to inspect him for any visible damage. “Did he hurt you?”

“No,” Steve managed to say, his mind still fuzzed. “Just...what you saw.”

The man in the suit’s jaw clenched, and Steve felt his breath catch, before they both got themselves under control.

“I’m--”

“This is Agent Coulson,” Fury broke in as he appeared in the doorway, arms crossed across his chest, not saying anything about the position Steve and Agent Coulson were in. “He’s one of the best here, and he’s going to be your dominant.”

Coulson glanced down at Steve, gauging his reaction. Steve stared up at him blankly. He didn’t know too much about how the whole dominant-submissive thing worked, obviously, but Coulson seemed nice enough.

“Phil,” Coulson, Phil, said, holding out a hand to Steve. Steve used it to pull himself up then shook it.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he replied.

Phil smiled back, a faint blush, of all things, on his cheeks. “You too, Captain Rogers.”

“Steve,” he corrected. The pleased smile this gave Phil made him warmer.

He wondered if that was from making someone smile, or making his dominant smile.

.oOo.

There was a small bag of essentials, clothes, toiletries, and files from SHIELD, sitting on Steve’s lap. He was in the passenger seat of Phil’s car, on the way to his apartment. There was a file open on top, which Phil had suggested so he wouldn’t get bored while they sat in traffic. The file was about dominants and submissives, explaining the behavior and protocol demanded of each.

There were some aspects of it, like waiting naked for his master to come back from work, that didn’t seem to fit with what he had seen with Phil. Of course, asking would be worse than not knowing.

He glanced over at Phil, trying to read him. Phil seemed to feel that he was being watched and shifted a little to give Steve a small smile.

“We’re almost there,” Phil told him, looking back to the road as the light turned green. “Just about three more blocks.”

Steve nodded, even if Phil couldn’t see it, and tried to focus on the file he was reading again. It was all a swirl of ideas he didn’t understand, so different from what life was like back in his time.

“This is so different from my time,” he said quietly, the suddenness making Phil look over at him.

“There’s a lot of things that are still the same,” Phil offered, looking back at the street. “A lot fo the music and movies have been preserved, so you’ll still have those. Some of  
the fashion is coming back. I know it’s not much, but…”

“Thank you,” Steve replied, even more quietly, looking out the window. He could see Phil’s reflection in the window; the man was smiling slightly.

It was only a few minutes until they pulled into the parking garage of an apartment complex, and even less than that until Phil was pulling smoothly into his spot and turning off the engine.

“I’ll take your bag,” Phil offered as he got out of the car. Steve got out as well, shaking his head.

“Isn’t it my job?” he asked, making sure he was correct. “I mean, I am the submissive. That means I have to do what you say.”

Phil smiled slightly. “Not exactly. If you want to carry your bag that’s fine, you just look a little tired.”

Steve shrugged, settling the bag’s strap on his shoulder and stepping up next to Phil. “I’m a little tired, but I can manage it.”

Phil nodded and started to walk to the elevator bay. “If you want a break just let me know.”

They didn’t speak again until they got to Phil’s apartment on the sixth floor. The main room was simply furnished, holding a couch, two chairs, a coffee table, a tv, and some bookshelves. The kitchen branched off of it, with a small table set against the wall. A small hallway sprouted off of the main room, presumably leading to a bathroom and bedroom.

What Steve fixated on, however, were the posters and display cases proudly presented on the far wall. There were posters, that looked identical to the ones in his time, in frames on the walls. There were glass cases of trading cards and pins and pamphlets. And all of them featured…him.

He looked over at Phil, whose hands were clasped nervously in front of him. “I didn’t know I would need to put them all away,” he said, obviously embarrassed. “I can get rid of them—“

“It’s all right,” Steve told him, even though it was a little strange. “It’s your apartment, you can decorate it however you want.”

“Our apartment,” Phil corrected. Steve’s only reply was putting his bag down next to the door. “I’ll clear out some closet and drawer space, make yourself at home.”

Phil disappeared down the hallway, leaving Steve standing by the door. He made his way further into the room, looking around to absorb the details, just in case. He settled on the couch, hands clasped in his lap, looking to the side to read the titles of the books on the shelves.

“Are you hungry?” Phil asked coming back into the main room. He was now sans jacket and tie, his shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Steve looked at him for a second before nodding. Phil smiled slightly and headed into the kitchen.

Steve got up to follow him. “Shouldn’t I be cooking?”

Phil glanced back at him as he opened the fridge door. “Do you like cooking?”

“Not particularly,” Steve admitted, leaning against the counter. “But aren’t I supposed to do it?”

“We’ll need to have a talk about each of our roles in this relationship,” Phil said, half to himself. “And I like cooking, so I can do that. Besides, I feel like you might have some trouble with the stove.”

Steve looked over at the appliance, with more buttons than he thought were really necessary, and smiled slightly. “Yeah, I think I would.”

Phil smiled in return, and started cooking. “Do you want to discuss the dynamic between us now or wait until after we eat?”

Steve shrugged slightly. “If you don’t mind, I think now is best. There are some things I just don’t understand.”

“Like what you’re supposed to do around the house?” Phil supplied, chopping some vegetables. Taking Steve’s silence as acquiescence, he started to explain. “In a lot of cases, especially those with bad dominants, the submissives are in charge of cooking, cleaning, the like. I don’t think it’s necessary for the submissive to do everything to take care of the house. I enjoy cooking, and cleaning gives me time to stop and think. If you want to help you’re welcome to, but I’m not going to force you to do it.”

Steve nodded, understanding that. “The file mentioned a lot about…intimacy?”

“The alignment system isn’t based completely around sex.” Phil sounded amused, which Steve figures is good. “I understand that you didn’t choose to be a submissive, and you didn’t choose me as your dominant. I want to try and make this as close to two people, two normal people, living together as I can. I have an extra bed in a spare room where you can sleep, and I’m not going to come ask you for sex.”

Steve nodded again, trying to take in the information in a way that he could remember it easily. “And collars?”

Phil put down his knife, the vegetables all chopped, his hands braced against the counter. “I won’t force my collar on you. That’s the worst thing a dominant can do. But…if you ever decide…” he stopped and shook his head, then stepped over to Steve and reached up a little to put a hand on his shoulder, making Steve heat up. “I just want you to be comfortable,” he said, a small yet sincere smile on his face. “Tell me if you aren’t, and we can fix it. Understood?”

Steve cleared his throat lightly. “Understood.”

Phil’s smile broadened slightly. “Good.” He stepped away again, and a grin burst out on Steve’s face without warning. There was a feeling of warm contentment in his chest, which he attributed to making Phil happy.

And even though the plans they agreed on sounded perfect, exactly what he could have wished for, it felt like there was something important missing. Steve shook his head, forcing that thought away, and started searching for dishes to set the table with.

.oOo.

It was a few days after he moved in when Steve really realized something wasn’t completely all right. He could feel himself tensing, always, for absolutely no reason. Every time Phil leaned towards him, or over him, or had a frown on his face from work, he would feel his muscles tense as if in preparation for something. But every time that it was just Phil reaching for something or having to refile someone’s paperwork, his body would relax and leave behind a sense of emptiness.

There was nothing in the file explaining it. Steve even tried using the computer, but the results that came up scarred him enough that he gave up on that too. There was no one he could ask, except Phil, and he didn’t want to bother him with this.

Then one day Phil came home in an absolute rage. There had been a major issue, caused by a junior agent’s stupidity, on an operation Phil had been working on for months, and now all the information he had gathered and plans he had made were useless. He was scowling, his body tense, posturing just like he had when he saved Steve from that man.

Steve claimed exhaustion to go to bed early, his body tense like a spring and feeling overwarm. He laid in bed, staring at the ceiling, unable to go to sleep and not understanding why.

Then an image popped into his head, from when Phil walked in the door that evening. He had been tugging his tie loose angrily, his shoulders set down and back, a frown on his face. Steve flushed slightly, and he, surprisingly, started to harden a little. He squirmed slightly, trying to get comfortable. Every time he tried to think about something else, his mind would bring him back to Phil tugging his jacket off and hanging it up with jerky, angry movements. Phil using more force than necessary to cut his chicken at dinner. Phil glowering at the tv when someone got the Wheel of Fortune puzzle wrong.

He couldn’t resist it anymore, his hand sliding down to close around his erection, biting his lip on a moan. He stroked lightly, too embarrassed to do anything more. But as the mental images kept coming, and growing increasingly worse, he had to tighten his grip. Phil taking off his shirt, Phil smirking at him with his eyes cold and steely, Phil gripping his shoulders and forcing him down—

Steve rolled over onto his stomach, moving quickly to brace himself up on one hand and his knees, pressing his face against his pillow. He tugged his pajama bottoms down to give himself more room, stroking faster and harder, but it still wasn’t enough.

Remembering that time at the SHIELD offices, when the man had grabbed him—his ass, that felt good. He moved his free hand back, bracing his shoulders against the bed to keep up off of the mattress. He grabbed one side, tightening and loosening his grip as he stroked his cock quickly.

Suddenly, he was struck by one of the videos he couldn’t watch more than a second of from the internet. He moved his hand, pressing one finger against his entrance, with just the barest pressure. He closed his eyes tight at the sudden spark of pleasure. He did it again, with a little more strength behind the rub, and groaned into his pillow.

He was struck by an image of Phil, standing behind him, finger poised to press inside him, leaning over him in his neatly pressed suit—

And Steve came, barely covering his shout in his pillow. Immediately after, his legs gave out and he crashed down onto the wet spot beneath him, eyes still closed tight.

He felt better, now, the tension seeping out of him as the sweat on his body cooled. But there was still a feeling that something was missing, something he needed, something that Phil could give him if only he knew how to ask for it.

.oOo.

This feeling only grew as time went on, but it took a few weeks for Steve to figure out what it was. Everything had been going fine, more than fine, with Phil. At first, there were people like that first man that tried to touch him or talk to him, but Phil was never too far away and always put a stop to it. Everyone got the message quickly.

As he figured out modern technology Steve started helping with the cooking and cleaning. Every time Phil would give him a small, pleased smile that Steve couldn’t help but return.

They slept in separate beds in separate rooms, and true to his word Phil never asked Steve for anything…intimate. Sometimes, if they were watching a movie after a long day of work, Phil would wind up falling asleep against him, but never anything more.

And Steve was fine with that.

Really, he was.

Phil had been gone for a few days, for an op in eastern Europe somewhere. Steve had been restless for almost all of it, and avoided going into the SHIELD offices whenever he could. He made sure Phil’s apartment was perfectly clean, and cooked dinner every night just in case that was the day Phil came home.

Of course, the day Phil came home was the one day Steve wished it wasn’t going to be.

He had gone in to SHEILD to turn in a file he had been looking over, but Fury had been in a meeting when he got there. After a few minutes the door opened, a short man with brown hair walking out. Steve hadn’t seen him before, which was a bit unusual considering how much time he spent at SHIELD with Phil.

The man, however, obviously knew who he was, if the grin on his face was any indication.

“Captain Rogers,” he said loudly, stretching out a hand. Steve shook it firmly, meeting the man’s eyes. “I’m Tony Stark, consultant for SHIELD and resident superhero.”

Steve studied him for a moment, then it hit him. “Iron man, right?” he replied, letting go of Tony’s hand. Tony grinned, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

“The one and only!” Tony looked around quickly, then back at Steve. “Where’s your Dom? I doubt Fury would let you wander around without one.”

“Phil’s on a mission,” Steve replied, unable to stop the smile on his lips at talking about his dominant.

Tony chuckled. “Still honeymooning then? I’m surprised you’re not wearing your collar, then, must subs don’t want to take them off for the first year or two.”

Steve brought a hand up to his bare neck self-consciously, glancing away from Tony. “He hasn’t given me a collar.”

“What kind of Dom doesn’t give his Sub a collar?” Tony snorted, crossing his arms. “Everyone knows subs need that sense of belonging and being taken care of. Besides, he can’t really show he has any real power over you if you don’t wear his collar.”

And suddenly, it all clicked in Steve’s mind. Why he wasn’t satisfied with his life, despite the perfection of their deal. Why he would get irrationally upset, sometimes, when Phil was nothing but quiet and kind. His eyes widened, mouth falling open slightly, the sudden realization almost too much to handle right then, without Phil beside him.

Tony’s eyebrows raised. “You’ve been feeling that, haven’t you?”

Steve, still in shock, nodded before he could think better of it.

“But you didn’t know how to tell what you were feeling, so you let it fester and grow until it was becoming too much for you, and he had absolutely no idea.”

Steve dropped his gaze to the floor, feeling ashamed. Phil had told him to say if he was uncomfortable or unhappy, and he hadn’t. He hadn’t listened to Phil, he hadn’t done as he was supposed to. Tony chuckled, making Steve look at him again.

“He must not be a great Dom, if he didn’t know what it was doing to you.”

Steve wanted to defend Phil, who had been nothing but kind to him. He desperately wanted to, but what if it was true? Phil, who had grown up with this lifestyle around him, should have known what being uncollared like this would do to a Sub. How was Steve supposed to know that that was what he needed? Phil said he would take care of him, and he didn’t, not when it really mattered.

Tony grinned, as if sensing Steve’s thoughts. “You know, last time I had a Sub, she was always happy. Told me so, all the time. One fight made her leave, but up until then she always wore my collar with pride.”

Steve could imagine it, walking through New York with a collar proudly around his neck, showing everyone that he was loved and cared for. He smiled to himself, trying to keep it from his face, but it obviously wasn’t successful.

“I could get you switched over to be my Sub,” Tony offered. “So you’ll have someone that understands your needs and how to fill them. You could still work with SHIELD, everything you do now, but you’d come back to my apartment and my bed at the end of the day.”

“Bed?” Steve asked, eyes widening the slightest bit. He and Phil never shared a bed, but apparently Tony and his Sub always did…

Tony’s expression turned sympathetic. “He hasn’t slept with you. You haven’t been given everything you need, Cap.”

“He said the relationship isn’t all about sex,” Steve replied, feeling as if the ground was being torn out from under him.

“It’s not all about sex, but it’s seriously important! That’s where the Dom can really have the control he needs, and the Sub can focus just on pleasing the Dom. There’s nothing like it, believe me, no way to substitute something else for it.” Tony moved closer, grabbing Steve’s wrist and squeezing lightly. Steve started to tremble; this was the first display of force he’d been at the receiving end of since that man on his first day awake. “I can show you what its like, and then you can decide if you can live without it.”

Steve met Tony’s eyes, then quickly slid his gaze away at the pure heat in them. Before he could think too much about it he nodded.

“Good boy,” Tony all but purred, making Steve legs wobble threateningly.

He needed this. And if Phil wouldn’t, or couldn’t, give it to him, he would have to find someone else.

.oOo.

They went back to Tony’s apartment, a nice place in the rich part of New York. It was bigger than Phil’s, more lavish. Steve couldn’t stop himself from looking around, taking in the comfortable looking furniture and huge windows.

Tony closed the door behind them, helping Steve to take off his jacket and then hanging it up.

“I want you to go into my bedroom and kneel next to the bed,” Tony told him, glancing over at him. “It’s the last room on the right, down the hall.”

Steve nodded, hurrying down the hall to the last room on the right, almost tripping in his haste to kneel down next to the bed. He wasn’t sure how Tony wanted him, exactly, so he sat back on his heels and waited anxiously for Tony to come in.

It took less than a minute, but it seemed like an eternity. Even when Tony entered the room he barely gave Steve a glance before stepping over to an armoire on the far wall. He opened one of the drawers and dug through it, eventually pulling out a few items that satisfied him.

“Turn back to face the door,” Tony told him without turning around, making Steve whip his head back around to face the door. “Don’t move from that position.”

Steve swallowed, not moving. He could hear Tony’s footsteps coming up behind him. He wanted to turn to look, but he wanted to be good, he wanted to listen to Tony’s rules. Something settled around his wrists and tightened.

“Wristcuffs,” Tony told him, running his fingers over the leather cuffs. “And a safeword. Say ‘red’ to stop, all right? If it’s too much.”

Steve nodded, and then vowed not to use it. He couldn’t afford to disappoint another Dom like that.

Tony settled a blindfold over his eyes next, thick and dark so he couldn’t even see out of the corner of his eye.

He heard Tony step back, just one step, before stopping.

“You look delicious like this,” Tony told him, making Steve shiver. “You listened so well to me, coming in here and waiting for me. And looking back at the door when I told you to. You were very good.” Steve smiled happily, welcoming the praise. “If just a little praise makes you this happy you’ll love being with me. Maybe one day I could leave you like this all day, maybe with a vibrator or a plug, and come home at the end of the day to fuck you.” Steve was getting hard, and fast, and he tried to hold back the moan trying to force its way out of his throat. Tony seemed like he could tell, because he stepped forward again, moving around Steve to press a hand between his shoulder blades. Even through his shirt Steve could feel the heat from his hand, making his back arch slightly. “Don’t hold back any noises, now. I’ll have to punish you if you do.”

Steve groaned softly, his head dipping forward slightly. The thrill of finally, finally, getting what he had been craving was starting to wear off. There was something still not right about it. Something he couldn’t place, not with his mind fuzzed at the edges and Tony’s hand still pressed against his back. He tried to push it out of his mind, focus on being good for Tony.

“Phil never got to hear you like this,” Tony told him quietly, leaning down to say it in his ear. His goatee scratched against Steve’s neck. “And he never will. He’s not good enough to be your Dom. He doesn’t know how to handle such a good boy.”

Steve wanted to soak up the praise, the praise he never got from Phil, but…Phil. Phil was his dominant. Phil made sure they always had enough food, and that Steve had clothes to wear, and there were movies and music from his time in the bookshelf, and that Steve was comfortable, and happy, and it wasn’t Phil’s fault that Steve hadn’t told him he was unhappy.

“Phil,” Steve whispered, little more than a small puff of air. Oh God, what was he doing? He was betraying Phil, he was listening to another dominant, he was submitting to another dominant.

“What was that?” Tony asked, biting the side of his neck lightly.

“Stop!” Steve said loudly, trying to squirm away from Tony, his arms pulling against his cuffs without breaking free. “No, Phil—“

“Steve, you were being so good, calm—“

“No!” What was a compliment before burned Steve from the inside out, making him curl in on himself. Steve wasn’t being good, he wasn’t listening to Phil, he was betraying him, Phil would never call him good now, Phil would never want him, Phil would…

He started thrashing more, trying and failing to get out of his wrist cuffs. The blindfold didn’t make it easier. He started crying, harsh sobs wracking his body and tears soaking into the blindfold.

“Steve, calm down, I’m going to get the cuffs off!” Tony said loudly, obviously with a good amount of dominance in his voice. But Steve couldn’t listen, because it wasn’t Phil, Phil who didn’t need to exert his dominance to make Steve listen to him. He felt Tony’s hands undo the clasp holding the cuffs together, letting him pull his arms apart to brace himself as he fell forward. He tugged the blindfold off quickly, pressing his hand over his eyes and trying to get himself under control.

Distantly, he heard Tony step away from him, giving him room to calm down. He couldn’t, though, couldn’t deal with what he had just done. Just thinking about it set off another round of sobs, making him shudder and curl in tighter.

He heard footsteps again, getting louder, but when he glanced over at Tony he wasn’t moving. The door to the bedroom slammed in, the handle leaving a sizable hole in the wall.

“Steve!”

That was Phil’s voice. He looked up, and Phil was in front of him, wearing one of his suits, bags under his eyes. Steve launched himself forward, wrapping his arms around his stomach and pressing his face against the starched jacket.

“I’m sorry,” he muttered over and over, between sobs and hiccups. “I’m sorry, Phil, I’m so sorry…”

“What happened here?” Phil’s voice was icy cold, and Steve tightened his arms around him. Phil shouldn’t be mad, that meant Steve was doing something bad, please don’t let him be mad.

“I think you two should talk it over first,” Tony replied, obviously uneasy. “I’ll go out for a while, let you two…settle things.”

“That won’t be necessary,” was Phil’s reply. He grabbed Steve’s biceps, helping him up to his feet. Phil looked into his eyes, the hard anger on his face softening slightly when they made eye contact, and then Steve dropped his eyes down. He pulled Steve from the room, a hand tight around his wrist, and Steve followed him quietly.

They got into Phil’s car. He didn’t look over at Steve when he started the engine, or at the red lights, or when they pulled into Phil’s spot in the parking garage. They just got out of the car, Phil grabbed his wrist again, and they went up to Phil’s apartment.

.oOo.

“Are you calm enough to talk about it now?” Phil asked after half an hour. He was sitting on the edge of the coffee table, something Steve had never seen Phil do. Steve was sitting on the couch, hands in his lap, trying to get himself under control. He had largely succeeded at this point, his old soldier training having kicked in, and was trying to gauge how mad Phil was without looking right at him.

Steve nodded, not sure if it was good to speak.

“Then I would like an explanation on why, when I come back, I find out that you left SHIELD with Tony Stark, of all people, and then find you in his bedroom sobbing with wristcuffs and a blindfold next to you.”

Steve flinched slightly, listening to Phil describe it. He swallowed nervously, thinking about what to say. He knew the main reason he had done it, but he wasn’t sure if he was ready to tell Phil. “He offered to…”

“To?” Phil prompted him to continue, his voice completely neutral

“To show me how important sex is in a relationship,” Steve replied quickly, hunching his shoulders as if preparing to be hit.

“Why did he think he needed to show you that?” Phil’s voice was deceptively calm.

“Because I told him you didn’t collar me, and we sleep in different beds, and—“

“None of that is his concern, Steve,” Phil told him. “I don’t understand why you needed to talk to him about our relationship.”

“Because you don’t want to give me a collar,” Steve blurted out, ducking his head down once he said it. “I know that you wanted me to be happy, but I just…I need…”

Phil leaned forward and took Steve’s hands in his. “I understand Steve, and that’s why I wish you had come to me right when you started feeling like that. I knew you weren’t used  
to living as a Submissive, and I wanted to let you have the same freedoms you were used to. In thinking about that, I ignored your submissive needs.”

One of Phil’s hands let go of Steve’s, moving up to press lightly against the side of his neck. Steve looked up at him nervously, still not sure if he was forgiven.

“Do you want me to collar you?” Phil asked quietly, looking straight into his eyes. Steve closed his eyes, pressing against Phil’s hand on his neck just to feel it press back.

“Yes,” he replied just as quiet, opening his eyes again. “Please, Phil.”

Phil smiled slightly. “You don’t need to say please. We’ll go look for one soon. But not right away.”

He could definitely see Steve’s disappointment.

“That’s your punishment, for submitting like that to another dominant. I’m not going to give you a collar until you’ve proven to me that you’re my good boy. Is that understood?”

Steve nodded quickly. “Yes, understood.”

Phi gave him a warm smile. “Good. Now, is there anything else you wanted to talk about?”

Steve hesitated, then shook his head. “That’s it…” He wasn’t being entirely honest. There was still the more physical aspect of their relationship to explore, but Phil didn’t seem interested in that.

Phil continued to look at him, that gentle smile on his face, small wrinkles at the corners of his eyes. He waited, and Steve knew he could tell there was something he wanted to say.

“There is one thing,” Steve sighed, finally relenting. “The…intimate part of our relationship.”

“I told you I won’t force you to have sex with me,” Phil reminded him gently.

“But I want to,” Steve replied immediately, looking down to their still-connected hands. “I want to. That was why I got upset with Tony. He wasn’t you.”

Phil’s hand tightened around his. “Are you sure Steve?”

“Completely sure.”

Phil cupped his cheek, making Steve look up at him. “Thank God, I didn’t want to force you, but to have Captain America, Steve Rogers, as my Submissive…” his hand tightened around Steve’s, making him shiver lightly. “It took everything I had to hold myself back.”

“Don’t,” Steve immediately replied. “Don’t hold back. Please.”

Phil smiled, and leaned forward to kiss him softly. “I won’t anymore. As long as you will tell me when something is making you upset. Always.”

Steve nodded, a little bashful. “I will.” Phil smiled, kissing him lightly again. He pulled away and sat back, Steve trailing after him for a few inches before blushing and sitting back.

“No more kisses until you get your collar,” Phil told him, standing up. “That’s punishment for myself, too, for ignoring what you needed.”

“You don’t need to punish yourself,” Steve said immediately, his fingers clenching in the fabric of his pants.

“Yes I do,” Phil replied, putting a hand on top of his head and rubbing lightly. Steve closed his eyes and tilted his head up into it. “I should have known better than to leave you touch-starved and collarless.”

Steve smiled, eyes still closed. “I love you,” he said simply, and he could feel Phil’s hand pause for a second before combing through his hair again.

“I love you too.”

.oOo.

It took a month, a month of Steve cleaning and cooking and cuddling up to Phil on the couch before stroking himself off in his bed. A month of wanting to just lean up and kiss Phil, now that he could, but not being able to.

The only consolations he had were Phil giving him more orders and more praise when he completed the orders. Even for things he would normally do, Phil would make it into an order, and once they were done both would feel that warm glow of happiness.

They were cuddled on the couch, sitting side by side but leaning together with their hands intertwined, during the commercials for Jeopardy when Phil looked over at him.

“Are you busy tomorrow?” He asked, making Steve look over at him.

Steve shook his head with a small smile. “You know I’m not.”

“We’re going to go get something then,” Phil told him, and Steve nodded in response. Phil kissed him softly, making Steve’s eyes widen. 

“Are we getting my…” Steve trailed off, his free hand moving up subconsciously to touch his neck. Phil nodded, smiling gently. Steve smiled back and leaned against him more.

“I love you,” Phil told him, pressing a soft kiss to the top of his head.

“I love you, too,” Steve replied, leaning up to kiss just under his jaw line. “Honestly.”

**Author's Note:**

> My love of dom/sub AUs apparently knows no bounds. Based it on the idea of service subs, which I relate heavily to. Any questions/comments/complaints please share!
> 
> cross-posted to my tumblr (same name, same username)
> 
> thanks to my friend risingmoonflower19 from tumblr/my floor for beta reading!


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